How to Deal With Weed Anxiety and Not Bug-Out

Let’s talk about weed anxiety. It affects everyone differently, except for the lucky few who have never experienced a cannabis-induced panic attack.

From shortness of breath to raised heart rates, to panicking over your impending death- these are all side effects of weed anxiety. Maybe you smoked too much, or maybe this happens every time you spark up. Nonetheless, there’s a way to prevent and deal with the pesky side effects of weed anxiety.

How Do I Know If I Have Weed Anxiety?

Weed affects everyone differently – which is why some use it and others don’t. It can make you feel euphoric and as if you don’t have a care in the world. Or, it can lead you to the couch where you’ll succumb under utter relaxation.

To others, it can make them feel paranoid. Like the cops are going to bust in at any moment. Or like their heart is going to explode inside their chest.

This causes certain people to avoid or stop using cannabis. The high that they experience is uncomfortable, and their increased paranoia over smoking weed prevents them from achieving an enjoyable high.

Every time they spark up, they immediately regret it. They go into the situation anxious, and their entire trip becomes tainted with paranoia. This creates an endless cycle of weed-related anxiety, and it gets increasingly difficult to turn a new leaf in terms of having a calming smoke sesh.

So, if you’re thinking this sounds like me, you may suffer from weed anxiety. However, you’re not alone and there are ways to overcome it if you’re determined to enjoy cannabis at least once.

My Personal Experiences With Panic Attacks And Anxiety

Well, I used to experience the same things. I started off as a normal smoker, and the only overwhelming side effects I experienced were eating entire jars of peanut butter. Then, I had one bad trip, and my entire outlook on weed changed. I became scared to smoke and feared that I would send myself into another panic attack.

When I suffered from weed anxiety, I couldn’t even speak while I was high. My only escape was searching for a dark room and desperately trying to go to sleep. This went on for several months, and I couldn’t figure out why this was happening so often.

Then, I began to realize that this was affecting other parts of my life. Every time I tried to drink, I began to feel anxious and panicky. Then, I began having panic attacks every time I merely thought about having anxiety. That’s when I realized that my struggles with anxiety went far beyond cannabis.

As I began to talk to more and more people about my issue, I realized that this was more common than I thought. Plenty of people who were once fine smoking weed later became anxious every time they smoked.

So, is it the cannabis that’s inducing our anxiety, or is it all in our heads?

Realistically, it’s probably 50/50. If you have anxiety, like me, it’s easier for you to experience panic attacks. It’s easier for you to create scenarios in your head that lead to anxiety, and the chemical imbalances in your brain don’t help. When you add cannabis to this concoction, it can become a pain in the ass to deal with.

So how do we deal with weed anxiety? Should we just cut our losses and stop smoking forever? Should we take this as a sign that cannabis isn’t right for us?

How To Manage Weed Anxiety

Please, by all means, don’t feel like you have to smoke weed to have an enjoyable life. If you’ve always gotten panicky when smoking cannabis, or if the fuss just isn’t worth it anymore, then fuck it! You should only smoke because you want to, and you should have the ability, choice and support to stop at any time. After all, it’s just cannabis.

However, if you’re determined to manage your weed anxiety like I was, there are ways to do that, too. Additionally, I find that these tips and tricks can apply to managing and preventing normal anxiety and panic attacks.

Helpful Steps:

1. Don’t try to hide– if you begin to feel panicky while smoking, don’t try to convince yourself that it’s not happening. I’ve found that trying to fight my anxiety only makes me more anxious. Say, “I’m anxious but I’m alive and present.” This will help ground you.
2. Don’t delve into it– while you should acknowledge that you’re feeling anxious, you shouldn’t delve into the rabbit hole. I know it sounds stupid, but try to think about other things. Watch a funny YouTube video, listen to a chill song, paint a picture, pet your dog, or have a random conversation with a friend. Remember, no one has died from weed, and no one has died from feeling anxious.
3. Talk about it– if the steps above aren’t working, try talking to a friend about how you’re feeling. I always tell the people I’m smoking with when I’m feeling a little extra anxious, and if we’re all comfortable enough, we can utilize physical contact like hugs or leaning on one another to calm down. When I see others not freaking out, and telling me not to freak out, it helps a bit.
4. Remove yourself from the situation– if nothing is working, you can try to remove yourself from the surroundings that contribute to your anxiety. Leave the smoke sesh and go have a conversation with a friend. Or, go lay down and relax for a while.
5. Take a break– sometimes, we just need a little break from smoking. This may include taking a break from smoking with multiple people who may unknowingly contribute to our anxiety. Or, this may include a tolerance break. Either way, your body might be telling you it’s time to chill out on chain-smoking blunts or ripping Godzilla bongs.

The Bottom Line

There are multiple factors that contribute to anxiety. Yours may stem directly from smoking cannabis, or from your biology, or from your surrounding environment.

Either way, stressing about this will only make you more anxious. Additionally, if you go into every smoke sesh expecting or dreading your anxiety, then it will certainly end undesirably.

So, whether you choose to quit smoking cannabis or give it another go-round, just know that there are ways to manage weed anxiety. Your choice to quit or not is valid, and there is nothing wrong with you.

• 

---

Loud News Net and this article should not be used as medical advice. If you have anxiety or other medical conditions please contact a physician.